Happy Tweeter, Happy Angler…

Happy Tweeter, Happy Angler…

Anyone who’s up to speed with technology nowadays is using social media. Twitter is where the cool kids hang out (for the time being) , but also where false idols are worshipped, fake news tweeted as truth, truth quoted as fake etc etc

It’s not all bad. but the fact is, it’s meant to be fun and informative, and this is how it should be approached at all times. People take it far too seriously…anyhow…

Whether tweeting as yourself or from a company/business account, there are certain guidelines —by which we all must abide (mostly).

When people don’t follow proper Twitter etiquette, we all cringe, it’s awkward, everyone feels deflated, and you just look shit, rude or just plain fucking boring.

So here are 10 Carpy Twitter etiquette rules that will help the tech savvy angler navigate through the Twittersphere :

1. Always add value. This can’t be stressed enough. Everything you tweet should add value to your followers’ day. This rule applies especially to brands, but you should follow it in your personal tweets as well.

We’ve come so far from the days when everyone made the joke that Twitter was just a collection of what people ate for breakfast. Don’t drag the platform back to those days—unless what you had for breakfast was truly fucking epic, in which case there had better be a pic!

3. A follow-back is nice, but it’s not required. It’s not a bad idea to follow influential users and people who frequently retweet or comment on your post, but don’t feel that you have to follow everyone who follows you.

4. Don’t just tweet headlines and links. I realise it’s easier to just send out a headline of a relevant article with a link, but if you really want to add value, give your take on the article or pull out some interesting quote or nugget from it.

The exception might be news organizations and publishing companies, but a good rule to follow is to go beyond the headline.

5. The people you follow say something about you. This may be a personal thing, but I like to ensure that the people I follow are relevant and adding value. You’d be surprised—especially if you’ve been using the platform for some time—at how many of the people you follow add no value.

Twitter frowns upon following/unfollowing en masse. What does this have to do with etiquette? If you’re invited to a party with a plus-one, you’re going to want to make sure the person you bring is an engaging guest, not a total fucktard.

6. No manual retweets. If you manually put “RT” in your tweet and just copy/paste a person’s thoughts, you’re seen as stealing that user’s thunder.

It’s a small thing, and some might disagree, but few will question the use of the handy retweet button. Don’t be a tit.

7. No automatic DMs. I’m surprised that this is still done, but about once a month I’ll get a DM thanking me for the follow and claiming that he or she is excited to connect with me.

Big fat Ali Hamidi bollocks. Come to think about it, no one should do anything automated on Twitter. And fuck off, I’m not going to get you verified with 2 followers and fuck all content. (Please see next item.)

8. Avoid automation if possible. Scheduling tweets is tricky. It’s not the worst thing in the world, as long as the tweets still sound human and there’s someone to engage with people once the tweets are sent, but something about it just feels a bit wanky. Fuck it. Never do this. Apart from Christmas.

9. Avoid constant negativity. Criticism of a thing, a piece of media, or something common to you and your followers is OK if you know what you’re talking about, but attacking individuals opens a door that you don’t want to walk through in social media. Use judgement. Keep it positive, and you’ll never have a problem. Go negative, and not much good will happen.

10. So, you got 30k followers. You think you are king. There are rare occasions to unfollow. Usually when you disagree or have a personal hate. Carpy followed all the names in the old days, now we just follow the people we find relevant and engaging for OUR followers.

BONUS: Facebook links, plugs for your new book or product are all ok in modestly but no one likes to have there pants pulled down every 5 tweets.

So, there you have a batch of guidelines for you and your followers to follow.